Should've, Could've, Would've
by Mad-Eye-Maddi
Summary: [MIDSOMER MURDERS] Warning: Spoiler. Set around the end of the episode ‘Deaths Shadow’. Troy is acting odd and Barnaby can’t figure out what is wrong with him. But when he walks into the office the next day he is surprised by what he finds.


IT'S NOT WHAT WE SHOULD OF DONE, IT'S WHAT WE COULD OF THAT MATTERS

**Plot: **Set around the end of the episode 'Deaths Shadow'. Troy is acting odd and Barnaby can't figure out what is wrong with him. But when he walks into the office the next day he is surprised by what he finds.

**Authors Note**: I tried to keep them in character but they never really act this way on TV so it's difficult. So I hope you like it and I am sorry if they are too out of character.

It was a warm day in Causton when Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby pulled up in the personnel parking lot at the back of Causton Station. Yesterday had been a long and tyring day, with a murder, a homosexual-in-denial love affair, a confession, a suicide and having to explain to Joyce why they had to call off their service. now he was grateful for the small period of time he and Troy would have off a case, even if that did mean that they were forced to do paperwork for that time.

However when Tom walked into the office that he and Troy shared, he was surprised to find the young Sergeant slumped over his desk fast asleep…and surrounded by almost all of the cases paperwork. Tom walked forward, and looked at a couple of the files, and was even more surprised to find that they were finished, all that was left was a small pile, containing three folders and a couple loose sheets, that he assumed Troy's body wouldn't allow him to finish.

Looking down at his youthful friend and noting the four empty cans of Coke that he assumed had kept him awake a couple hours more than he should have been, Tom decided to let him sleep while he finished off the few files left.

It took him an hour to finish the rest of the work, and throughout the time Troy had remained fast asleep, mumbling things that he couldn't understand every now and then. Tom got up and packed his briefcase, then walked over to the other desk and shook Troy's shoulder a little to wake him up.

Troy woke up with s start, sitting up in his chair and wincing as the midday sun hit his eyes mercilessly.

Tom smiled and said, "Good morning Troy, nice sleep?"

Troy leaned back in the chair, wincing as a couple bones cracked protesting his odd sleeping position, and replied groggily, "Not particularly sir, you?"

Barnaby stepped back as Troy stood up out of the office chair, and replied derisively, "Oh yes, I found that a bed and pyjamas helped immensely."

The crack was answered with an unusually weak smile, followed closely by a guilty look at the paperwork on the desk.

"You did a good job with the paperwork, you should waited for me to take at least half of it though Troy."

Troy looked down at the floor guiltily and mumbled, "Sorry sir, I just wasn't very tired and thought that I might save us some work today."

Barnaby looked at his Sergeant with a puzzled expression and replied reassuringly, while trying to work out what was wrong with him, "Well you have done that, how about you go home and catch up on some of the sleep you missed out on."

Toms mystification increased when Troy responded with a notably forced smile. _He would usually be overjoyed by a day off, what is going on here?_

Shaking his head slightly, the DCI came to the supposition that Troy must be overtired and not in the mood to joke around a little, even though he is usually tongue in cheek twenty-four seven. Tom picked up the briefcase and said goodbye to Troy, then walked out of the door.

However when he was walking past the cafeteria, he remembered that he had forgotten one of the files in his desk that needed finishing by tomorrow, so he turned around and walked back to the office.

At first when he walked in he thought that he was alone, but when he walked over to his desk he found something very unexpected.

A rather upset Troy sat in the corner, holding a file from their last case, and only when Tom read the name did he understand Troy's odd behaviour. The file had the name… Reverend Stephen Wentworth. This explained why Troy wanted to close this case as soon as possible, and why he didn't want to go to sleep that night. And why he was miserable and possibly why he was mumbling in his sleep.

Troy looked up at Tom miserably, looking as vulnerable as a six year old who had just been told that his dog was run over, and then started crying.

Tom sat down next to his young friend, rapping an arm around his trembling shoulders and muttering comforting nonsense, attempting to calm him down a little. After around five minutes the sobbing subsided an Troy sat up a little straighter and rubbed his eye fiercely, a shade of red creeping up his neck as he did so and muttering, "Haven't cried since I was thirteen years old."

"Your allowed to be upset about stuff like this Gavin. You were up there when he jumped."

Troy nodded glumly, tears still sliding down his cheeks. "I should of stopped him, I should of run faster I could of caught him."

Tom looked at him sorrowfully remembering how he had felt when a man had committed suicide in front of him. "There was nothing you could of done Troy. The only way you are to blame was if you talked him into jumping and I know you wouldn't do that."

"But sir, I should of sto-"

"Troy, it's not what we should of done, it's what we could of done that matters, and you couldn't have done anything. Anyway, his probable better off."

With a small smile, Troy nodded and replied, "Isn't that a little hypocritical sir?"

_Oh yeah, his back_. "And how is that Troy?" asked Tom, standing up and offering his hand to Troy who took it gratefully and replied, "Well when I said that, you told me that it wasn't the point, and now you a telling me-"

"You know you have a right cheek on you Troy," announced Barnaby, smiling to himself.

"Oh I do try sir. You want to go get lunch?"

"On me."

Well that's it. That was my first Midsomer Murders Fanfiction so please be nice, and PLEASE review. Reviews are the 'Bricks in the wall of your


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